it’s time for a list about brilliant bridges, but not the bridges you normally see in these kinds of lists. i wanted to avoid the usual suspects as they seem to get pounded to death on the intertubes and there’s only so many photos of the golden gate bridge you can look at without becoming just slightly bored.
voila…

pedestrian bridge, texas, u.s.a.

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this beautiful arched bridge in lake austin was a private build by miro rivera architects and is used to connect the client’s main house to the smaller guest house on the other side of the water. the idea was to make the bridge seem as natural as possible within its surroundings and to do this they made the decking and reed-like hand rails as imperfect as possible. the result is a bridge that looks extremely fragile but definitely worth the risk.

octavio frias de oliveira bridge, são paulo, brazil

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opened in may of this year, the octavio frias de oliveira bridge is a stunning x-shaped cable-stayed bridge that crosses the pinheiros river in sao paulo. it’s design is unique in that the 2 curved decks of the bridge cross each other through its x-shaped supporting tower, an illuminated structure that stands 450ft tall and has attached to it 144 steel cables. the bridge’s LED lightshow can be read about here.

kintaikyo, iwakuni, japan

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the original kintai bridge was built in 1673 and didn’t stand very long until it was damaged due to flooding. it was then rebuilt and survived for more than 200 years until a typhoon battered it to death in 1950. the bridge that stands now over the nishiki river is the 3rd build and looks magnificent, it’s 5 wooden arches displaying an incredible amount of detail and craftmanship. interesting fact: no nails or bolts have been used to build the arches, only clamps and wires.

juscelino kubitschek bridge, brasilia, brazil

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the jk bridge in brasilia is a lesson in elegant bridge design. the 3 huge arches diagonally hopping over the deck of the bridge give the structure an amazing visual fluidity and make the whole 1.2km bridge look effortlessly cool. since being built the bridge has won awards for its design but is still massively underappreciated on a wider scale. i reckon this must be one of the best bridges around.

rolling bridge, london, u.k.

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thomas heatherwick’s award-winning rolling bridge is an ingenious addition to the grand union canal system in london and is unique in its design. unlike regular movable canal bridges, the rolling bridge curls up on itself to form an octagon by way of hydraulics. it’s an amazing sight and a reminder that a fresh perspective can produce great, innovative results, even when dealing with a structure as common as a bridge.

beipanjiang river railroad bridge, guizhou, china

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beipanjiang river railroad bridge in guizhou is an enormous railway bridge that was built as part of the much larger ‘guizhou-shuibai railway project’ (pdf). connecting 2 mountains over a deep ravine, at its highest point the bridge’s deck sits 918ft above the ground (to compare, at its highest point the millau viaduct’s deck clears the river underneath by 890ft). the bridge has succeeded in connecting 2 of the country’s poorest areas.

henderson waves, southern ridges, singapore

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‘henderson waves’ is singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge and can be found at the southern ridges, a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks which has frequently drawn comparisons to new york’s central park. the bridge itself is absolutely stunning. the deck is made from thousands of balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snaking, undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve. if i was to make sweet love to a bridge, this would be the one.

pont gustave flaubert, rouen, france

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this is the incredible, brand new vertical lift bridge in rouen, france, a beast of a structure whose 2 bridge spans weigh 1′200tons each but can be hoisted 180ft vertically by the bridge’s lifting mechanism in an impressive 12 minutes. just the angular structures at the top of each tower weigh in at 450tons each, helping to support the lifting system as cruise ships sail through.

hegigio gorge pipeline bridge, southern highlands province, papua new guinea

sources, clockwise from top: 1, 2 (pdf), 3

technically, this is a bridge: it’s a structure which spans a gorge. the only difference is, the bridge can’t be used by humans due to the fact that its purpose is to support 2 pipelines - 1 gas, 1 oil - across the extremely high gap in papua new guinea. so high in fact that if this were to be officially recognised as a bridge it would rocket to the top of the ‘world’s highest bridge-span’ list at an impressive height of 1′290ft. by comparison, the current highest bridge span belongs to the royal gorge bridge in colorado, hanging a mere 1′053ft above ground level, whilst manhattan’s chrysler building measures 1′047ft.

before we look at the beasts themselves, a quick definition courtesy of gravely gorgeous…

We tend to call any piece of architectural sculpture that depicts animals a gargoyle. Strictly speaking, however, gargoyles are decorative waterspouts that preserve stonework by diverting the flow of rainwater away from buildings.. Grotesques, while similar in appearance, serve a variety of other practical and ornamental functions, as corbels or capitals, for instance. The term, grotesque, can apply to any fanciful human or animal form, especially when it indulges in caricature or absurdity.

not that it’s a hot topic around manchester but i don’t know anyone that dislikes gargesques (easier to type). when done well they can elevate a building’s brilliance by a hefty percentage but even when done to a lower standard they still manage to add some charm to what otherwise may have been ‘just a building’. i love the idea that there are thousands of these stone devils sitting on buildings, surveying the world below, effortlessly adding charm to their perch. so, below are some favourites in a list which could’ve been larger but ultimately would’ve diluted the greatness of those included, so maybe i’ll do another batch at a later date.
if i was ever going to use the term ‘bad-ass’ (and i am) it’d be to describe the following examples…

the chrysler building, new york

sources, clockwise from top: 1, 2, 3

the chrysler building: a beautiful art deco skyscraper in manhattan which was built to house the chrysler headquarters in the early 1930s. the 61st floor is surrounded by 8 stunning silver eagles (top) which were actually replicas of 1929 chrysler hood ornaments and on the corners of the 31st floor can be found enormous replicas of chrysler’s 1926 radiator caps (bottom left). the fact that architect william van alen was able to add automotive-inspired ornaments to a skyscraper without ruining it is a feat in itself.

unknown building, new orleans

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i came across a photo of this grotesque last year by chance and still believe it to be one of the best around. the problem is, i have no idea which building it guards. all i know is that it resides in the french quarter, new orleans and is the epitome of evil with its scowling face and victim’s head in hand. horror aside, the craftmanship is also impressive. does anyone know the story behind it?

notre dame de paris, paris

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the gargoyles and grotesques that live on the notre dame de paris are probably the most widely recognised in the world, and with good reason. when built in the 13th century, this cathedral was without gargoyles of any kind - it was only when the incredible building was restored in the 19th century that victor pyanet’s monsters were designed and given their now-famous seats. every single gargoyle and grotesque has been given its own character and with the surrounding views of paris there are hundreds of photo opportunities to be had.

eastern state penitentiary, philadelphia

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the idea of attaching a couple of disgusting gargoyles to the exterior wall of a prison is a great one and that’s exactly what they did at eastern state penitentiary in philadelphia, an ominous-looking correctional facility which closed its doors to offenders in 1971. it was opened to the public in 1994 as an historic site and the winged grotesques still stand firm at the gates, looking ready to rip out the eyeballs of all that pass. [update] apparently they’re temporary and only make an appearance at halloween. they should leave them up there permanently.

neues rathaus, munich

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unfortunately it’s not often you see enormous dragons attempting to scale buildings, a fact that makes this one in munich’s marienplatz all the more incredible. the huge stone dragon, which also glows in the dark, can be found attached to a corner of the ‘new town hall’ in munich, a building which is pretty much covered in all manner of gargoyles and grotesques.

pena national palace, sintra

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sitting above the door of pena palace in sintra, portugal, is one of the most fantastically hideous grotesques you could ever wish to see. the top half of the beast is ugly human, holding in has hands the branches of a tree which seems to originate at the back of his head, but as we venture south his legs seem to transform into fish-tails. it really is a disgusting piece of work but at the same time oddly compelling and definitely one of the best i’ve seen.

tour d’eben-ezer, bassenge

sources, clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3

completed in 1963 by local eccentric robert garcet, the tower of eben-ezer in bassenge, belgium, was built using flint from a local quarry and contains 7 floors and 4 towers, each of the towers representing a different horseman of the apocalypse. on top of each tower then stands a grotesque which represents a different cherub of the apocalypse. and they’re stunning. in comparison to the size of the tower itself they’re gigantic and are the first thing you notice no matter which angle you approach from, leering over the top as if ready to pounce.

washington national cathedral, washington

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easily the most recent grotesque in this list is the darth vader head that sits quietly on the national cathedral in washington, and it’s most definitely ‘bad-ass’. it was added to the exterior in the 80s as a result of a competition held by the cathedral for kids to design grotesques for the building, 3rd place going to this depiction of evil by a young geek called christopher reader.

gargoyle filth

sources, clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4

finally, i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post some photos of rude gargoyles, so here they are. the first, an extremely early goatse.cx contender, can be found threatening to shit rain water on passers-by at aswarby church in lincolnshire. the other 3 exhibitionists are all to be seen at the lonja de mercaderes in valencia.
for more gargoyle related info, i’d definitely suggest this site as a starting point and i’d also suggest looking on flickr as there are thousands of photos to be digested. if the last example was more your cup of tea you should take a look at satan in the groin, a site dedicated to ‘exhibitionist figures on medieval churches’. i bet you didn’t have that one in your bookmarks.

i don’t even know if prague has rhythm, it just sounded like a good title.

here’s another reason to visit the capital of the czech republic…

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it makes sense that as well as a giant tower covered in babies, there sits a fully-functioning, 75ft tall red metronome in prague’s letna park, overlooking the city centre whilst providing a constant tempo for residents.

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the metronome was designed by vratislav novak and has been ticking away since 1991, albeit sporadically due to complaints from locals about the unrelenting noises coming from the enormous steel arm. the metronome is now only turned on at certain times of the day to prevent a local revolt. here’s a short clip of the beast in action…



anyone know the bpm?

on a final note, it’s interesting to note that the metronome stands on a pedestal that was, until it was destroyed in 1962, home to the world’s largest representation to stalin, seen below.

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my initial, uneducated reaction when i recently discovered that at one time an inflatable aeroplane existed and had been flown by humans was for my testes to shrink rapidly and then retreat towards my spine. i put it down to the bad rap that inflatables have had in the past. you say ‘inflatable aircraft’, i think ‘hindenburg‘, plus i’ve seen a lot of balloons pop for no apparent reason.



obviously the u.s. army had brains, thought differently and in the 1950s asked goodyear’s aerospace subsidiary to look into the possibility of building an inflatable aircraft. they duly responded with the inflatoplane, an aircraft with rubber fueselage and wings which, when deflated and folded-up, could fit into a relatively tiny 5ft² container.



2 different models (one single-seater and one double-seater) were developed and the idea was to have them carried on rescue planes and trucks in warzones, ready to be dropped near soldiers in need of a sharp exit. once the container was opened, an air compressor would inflate the plane in 5 minutes using less pressure than that of a car tyre. the propeller was then attached and the engine started by hand.



the inflatoplane could even continue flying should the rubber be pierced by a couple of .38 calibre bullets, however the project came to a halt in the early 70s following a death during a test flight (a stray cable ultimately led to a wing folding up, only to be chopped up by the propeller) and the realisation that the inflatoplane wasn’t that easy to start - an obvious problem during a supposedly rapid escape.



so now we’re without inflatable planes. such a shame.

however, while we’re on the subject of quick rescues i just want to mention an escape carried out by the caped crusader himself in the dark knight (a film which still to this day amazes me after seeing it a couple of weeks ago). for those who haven’t seen the film, don’t read on unless you don’t care about twists being ruined.

there’s an incredibly nifty scene where we see batman kidnapping lau from within a skyscraper, using a device called a skyhook. if you were as easily impressed by that scene as me you’ll be pleased to know that christopher nolan didn’t actually pluck that invention from the air - the skyhook exists.



although i’m pretty sure no-one’s managed to pull off an escape as effortlessly as batman did, the ‘fulton surface-to-air recovery system’ has been used as recently as 2001 to rescue a british soldier in afghanistan, and the principle is exactly the same as was shown in the film. there’s a pretty good wiki page about the system here. check out the clip below of the skyhook in action.



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

over the past year or so numerous wooden cars, some far more successful than others, have been appearing on the intertubes and seeing as i’m a sucker for wooden vehicles in general i thought it my duty to bring you a collection of the best that i’ve seen. the amount of effort and skill required to even craft a wooden door handle surpasses any possessed by myself.

the tryane II

first of all, the guy that built this wooden beauty goes by the name of ‘friend wood’, a fact that in itself deserves a round of applause. then there’s the car. using a technique called ‘cold-moulding’, wood has managed to build an incredible mahogany covered car over the space of 2000 hours, and it even has a wooden chassis. amazingly the 3-wheeler can reach a top speed of 101mph despite owning the engine of a citreon 2cv. read more here.

the maniwa wooden supercar

japanese furniture maker sada kenbei co ltd decided to show off their carpentry skills last year when they produced this ‘wooden supercar’, a vehicle which somehow doesn’t deserve the ’super’ part of its name when compared to the splinter seen below, even though it still looks the business. valued at $32′000, the car can reach a respectable 50mph. there’s a video clip of the supercar in action below.

the wooden cadillac

here’s an example of a handcrafted masterpiece. jerry nickel spent 4 years building this beast after retiring from his waste collection career. the car is powered by 2 cadillac v8 engines - one for the front wheels, one for the rear - and materials used to build the car inlude 4183 hand-cut pieces of wood, 5 gallons of glue, 4 gallons of varnish and 60 pounds of drywall screws. the resulting vehicle is absolutely stunning. more info here.

the splinter

joe harmon is making what truly deserves the title ‘wooden supercar’. when completed the ’splinter’ will have a top speed of 240mph and a level of detail which is truly astounding. the easiest and most enjoyable way to learn about the project is to, a) watch the video below, b) visit the official site of the splinter here where you’ll find loads of photos and renderings, and c) visit this construction diary, updated most days. truly epic.

the two-face of wooden cars

vasily lazarenko is a madman, but in a good way. one day he decided he was going to build a car from oak, that alone being a difficult task, but with a twist. he wanted it split down the middle, enabling a different body style on each half. clearly mental but at one with a plane, ukranian lazarenko even quit his job to get it done without distraction. the end-product is exactly what you’d expect from the brief. a wooden car with a split-personality. more info at spluch. watch the car in action below.

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i just wanted to mention the next 2 vehicles even though they aren’t cars. one’s a wooden car-shaped boat and one’s a wooden motorcycle. they’re both fascinating. for more info click here for the boat and here for the bike.

remember the boat-shaped shopping centre that was doing the rounds a few weeks ago? i’ve found something similar, but bigger. it may be a gimmick but it makes for some great photos.
all i know about this beast is that it’s a 325 room hotel (land-based). it’s been built to look like a cruise ship, it cost around us$50m to build, it’s called the ‘queen elizabeth hotel’ and it can be found between the turkish towns of kemer and antalya. unfortunately it also doesn’t exist yet on google maps. have any of you people stayed there? if so, does the manager dress like the captain of an actual ship?

the hotel’s website, home to more mental photos, can be found here.








photo sources: 1, 2, 3

[note: apologies for the shit picture quality. there was very little to choose from]

wow.

it’s surprising that there’s so little (english) information available about this house as it seems to be such a piece of engineering brilliance and a building which, when designed, was way ahead of its time. it was built and lived in by an italian ship engineer by the name of angelo invernizzi (along with assistance from architect ettore fagiuoli) between the years of 1929 & 1935 and can still be found in marcellise, italy. have a look and see if you can work out the unique feature.



incredible. the top half of the building rotates around the centre of the circluar track on which it rests (which happens to form the roof of the lower, static half of the building), much like the hands of a clock. invernizzi was intent on designing a house whose main windows would always be facing the sun, so he came up with the idea you see here. the ‘tower’ which forms the pivot is 43 metres tall and the power needed to move the structure is generated by 2 motors (3 horsepower in total): a full revolution of the 1′500ton building would take just over 9hrs, travelling at a speed of 4mm per second, unless of course the rotation was delibrately slowed.




the house is called ‘il girasole’ - the sunflower - and, while not the best quality, some plans of its development can be seen below.



below is the house on google maps, the link to which is here.



as always, if you have any more info, let us know.

sources: spotted last year at skyscraperpage, recently seen again at german site dynamic architecture, which led to this post where you can find a couple more photos. google then uncovered this italian forum where some photos were nabbed. using google book search you can also read about the building here.

following on from the nightmarish baby tower a couple of weeks back, here’s another surreal and incredible piece of public art that has the ability to scare pedestrians shitless. i hope you enjoy stuff like this as much as i do because i’ll be searching for more.

without further ado, the coolest sculpture ever to grace a town centre…

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it’s a fucking tripod from the war of the worlds and can be found in horsell woking, england (h.g. wells’ hometown and the area in which the first martian cylinder landed). imagine walking round the corner and coming face to face with it for the first time, groceries in hand. i’d be close to soiling my pants.

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built in 1998 by michael condron, the 23ft high sculpture was “commissioned to celebrate the centenary of hg wells’ the war of the worlds” and as you can see in the last photo, next to the tripod, seemingly half-buried in the ground, is the cylinder. there are also bacteria represented by designs on surrounding stones - go here to see them. as with the baby tower, congratulations to the local authorities for giving this shiny chunk of brilliance the greenlight. it’s fantastic. if something like this existed outside my local shopping centre then i might actually go near the place.